Seattle Belt Line
Seattle Belt Rail Corporation (Seattle Belt Line) Introduction The Seattle Belt Rail Corporation, also known as the Seattle Belt Line, is a class II Railroad based out of Auburn, Washington. The railroad operates on former BNSF Trackage in Washington State and British Columbia. The railroad serves over two hundred towns and major cities, and operates 21 rail yards across the system with it's fleet of 377 locomotives. Seattle Belt Line also interchanges with multiple class I roads. BNSF and UP interchange with the SBLR at Portland, OR. While the BNSF has not returned to the Washington Markets, UP Runs two daily manifests up to Seattle, WA, as well as a daily crude oil train to the Port of Tacoma. UP Has retained they're Seattle Sub trackage between Fife, WA and Tukwila, WA, as well as the Argo Yard, although local freight and switching is handled by the SBLR. = Timeline: In the year of 2008, America's economy was on the brink of collapse once again. With a recession taking a toll on the railroads, companies such as BNSF and Union Pacific where losing money due to a sharp decrease in traffic. The companies started to mothball and abandon certain routes to save costs, as well as cutting service where it already hadn't been lost. BNSF, and later the UP, would end all services to the pacific northwest, as there wasn't enough money At the time SBLR, then using the reporting mark SBRR, was nothing more then a shortline based out of Seattle, making money by being a switching service at King Street Station for Amtrak., using two SW1500 locomotives and a GP15-1. As the BN and UP began to lose money and assets, they cut corners to save costs, the UP especially. Things escalated between the company management and labour unions, and lawsuits where filed left and right. This led to worker uprisings in the Pacific Northwest over cut salaries and safety hazards, which didn't help the failing intermodal buisiness for both railroads, which is where 90% of the region's rail revenue comes from. BNSF filed for bankrupcy in September 2008, and mothballed and then abandoned the Steven's pass portion of the Senic Sub, as well as the Stampede, Yakima Valley, Columbia River, Lakeside, Burbank, and Sumas Subdivisions, handing the properties over to the State Government. While operation on the Seattle, Senic (Seattle-Everett), Fallbridge, annd Bellingham Subs continued, it wasn't too long before BNSF withdrew from the Washington Markets altogether, and decided to focus where most of the company's money comes from, the Midwest. UP continued it's trackage rights operations on the now government-owned routes, and got a grasp on the intermodal buisiness that BNSF had left behind. This was short-lived, however, as the Federal Railroad Administration shut down UP's operations out of Portland, Fife, and Argo after finding major safety hazards and carelessness by managers during inspection. Cases where filed, Charges where pressed, and one incident after another UP was forced to shut down all operation north of Portland due to unsafe working conditions and terrible, unmaintained infastructure, as well as loss of buisiness. In October of 2008, after just under a month after temporarily taking over rail operations, the state was now seeking a private company to take over rail operations in the state. WSDOT had aquired a lot of older locomotives and rolling stock from BNSF and UP, since both railroads decided to stick with the then-new GEVO locomotives, and they're vast fleets of C44-9Ws and AC4400CWs. This left WSDOT with massive amounts of older EMD and GE power, such as GP38-2s, B40-8Ws, SD60Ms, and most importantly, SD40-2s. In December of 2008, two private railroad companies where selected by the State government and the FRA to take over operations. These comapnies would recieve government funds at a federal level until able to support themselves. These companies where the then Seattle Belt Line Inc, and the Spokane, Columbia & Pacific. SBLR took over the former BNSF Seattle, Senic, Columbia River, Spokane, Lakside, Bellingham, and Burbank Subdivisions. As of December 24th, 2008, the Seattle Belt Rail Corperation was established, and took over operations the following day. SBLR's management decided to headquarter out of Auburn, WA. Within a half year the Headquarters and Dispatch Center would have a grand opening and open house to the public. The new HQ, located on the East Side of Auburn Yard, now dispatches over 250 trains a day on the SBLR system. Disgruntled former employees of the BNSF and UP where soon working for the SBLR, as well as the Spokane, Columbia, and Pacific, which interchanged with the SBLR in multiple places, including Auburn, where the SC&P's Stampede Pass Route ended. Now with a massive fleet of 927 locomotives inherited from BNSF, SBLR Begun to get to work. The recession was over, and the SBLR quickly grew the intermodal buisiness. Hot Z trains with consists of Geeps and SD40-2s where seen speeding along the coast of the Puget Sound, and through the mountains of the Cascades. Up until July of 2010, SBLR had no official paint scheme. On July 28th, 2010, The first locomotive to recieve official SBLR Paint, SBLR 9521, a GP38-2, rolled out of the progress rail shops in Tacoma, WA. In the brand new "Cascade Spirit I" Paint, this locomotive was a icon of a new age for railroading in the Pacific Northwest. Other Locomotives soon followed, and SBLR's signature blue, black, and white was a favorite for most railfans. In the spring of 2011, SBLR was divided up into two Divisions and seven Subdivisions. In June of 2011, SBLR unrolled a new paint scheme. Cascade Spirit II was applied to locomotive 950, the railroad's only SD24 (since upgraded to Dash 3 standards). This was the new standard paint scheme for locomotibves on the SBLR. June of 2011 was also the start of the rebuild program with Progress Rail to give four axle GP series locomotives upgraded electronics, new prime movers, and new headlight systems that where standardized on the railroad, such as alternating ditchlights and gyralights, and/or mars lights. The SD40 Rebuild program came the following month. Let's Jump to August 2015. SBLR Has demolished the old Depot at Steilacoom, WA, and has constructed a replica to serve as a passenger depot, as well as a crew change point. Next to the station, a small dispatch outpost has been constructed, as backup to keep things up and running in case something happens to Auburn. Almost all GP and SD units have been rebuilt/upgraded, and SBLR's new "FastFreight I" Paint scheme has become the new standard. The company has released an official logo, put on the side of a few locomotives as an experiment with the new FastFreight I paint. January 2016, SBLR Releases a secondary logo, a wing design based off of American Indian art styles, in order to help promote intermodal by rail, as well as a new insignia to put on the front of locomotives. SBLR's SD60/SD60M fleet has begun rebuilds/upgrades. All ex-BN locomotives have been given a special BN insignia on the side to honor the fallen railroad. Electrification of the Steven's Pass Subdivision between Everett, WA and Spokane, WA has begun. The old Prairie Line, once a NP Mainline-turned-trail, has begun re-construction by SBLR in order to re-route Z and Q intermodal trains off the Tacoma South Sub until Tenino, WA in order to provide a faster way to move intermodal and merchandise. SBLR's "Puget Sound Flyer" passenger trains have begun operation to compete with government run Amtrak Cascades Trains. Upgrading of the Lakeview Spur, Now Lakewood Sub, for Sound Transit and Amtrak Cascades Service has begun. SBLR Freight ops on this line are suspended until further notice. SBLR sells off 87 old SD40-2s in favor of brand-new EMD SD70ACes. October 2017, SBLR Begins testing of new EMD/Progress Rail SD70ACe-T4 locomotives, and orders 20 of these locomotives the following month. SBLR begins to recieve parts of an order of 18 Siemens SC-44 locomotives to replace GP40P-3s on the Puget Sound Flyer. June 2018: SBLR Begins a new marketing campaign for the railroad's fast Z train services. SBLR extends the Prairie Subdivison out to Morton, WA, by building a connection to the TRMW Mountain Division and upgrading tracks. Lumber once again is being hauled by rail, and now unit lumber trains can be seen running between Morton and Tacoma. New Puget Sound Flyer depots opens up at Auburn and Grand Mound, WA.